Incident: The Soberanes Fire is burning in the Los Padres National Forest, Ventana Wilderness, in Monterey County, CA. The fire was started by an illegal campfire on July 22, 2016, in Garrapata State Park.
Agency Jurisdiction: CAL FIRE San Benito-Monterey Unit/Los Padres National Forest.
Incident Command: California Incident Management Team 4, Rocky Opliger, Incident Commander.

Crews on the east side of the fire are making good progress with their “burnout” operations. They are moving northwest along Chews Ridge toward the goal of connecting the “indirect” fireline to the existing containment line north of the Los Padres Dam. Engine crews continue to stand guard at structures adjacent to the burnout as the elite, highly skilled “hotshot” crews ignite fires to widen the containment line along the ridge. Each crew successively hands the torches off to hotshot crews from one section of the line to another. That crew then continues the progress. Following the ignition, the hotshots then stand guard to insure the fire burns as intended, often throughout the night.

Expect to see air tankers dropping fire retardant adjacent to indirect line in the coming days, making fuels unreceptive to windborne embers that might fly across the fireline.

On the southern coastal side of the fire, crews continue to secure and improve established containment lines.

The fire is currently 57% contained. As the burnout operations progress and the indirect line is strengthened, the containment percentage will continue to rise.

The public is asked to avoid driving up Laurel Springs Road as it is currently experiencing heavy traffic from fire equipment supporting the burnout. It is also the only way out for emergency vehicles that may need to leave the area quickly.

7 am – Good morning! Another lovely smoke-free day down here yesterday. No plumes visible from my location, all growth (just around 500 acres) seems to have been at the firing operation at Chew’s Ridge. Here are the maps.

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5 Responses to “Soberanes Fire, Day 57, 9/16/16”

Thank you Kate. Each morning I read your update. Each day i remember to enter a comment. Specifically a THANK YOU!!! Mostly as you deserve EVERY single thank you and none of us should take your work, ever, for granted! And just a little bit because that is the only way to get a copy of comments others send to you copied to me sent as they happen. I do see your updates by the way I’ve set up my defaults but to see comments as they come in I have to enter one and check the notify box for comments. Not a problem but interesting!

A new backfire has been started today East of Chews Ridge Lookout, on top of Piney Creek. Found it on Sartopo.com and had it confirmed after at the info line. Looks like the fire is now decennia into Pine Valley, getting closer to English Cabin. I really question the necessity of these Chews Ridge fires.